Apparatus for making transducer scroll spacers

ABSTRACT

A wire is gear-crimped and gear-formed by passing it through a pair of horizontal gear wheels and subsequently through a pair of vertical gear wheels. The first pair of gear wheels crimps the wire to form high frequency undulations in the wire, which then is fed into the second pair of gear wheels to form low frequency undulations in a direction perpendicular to the low frequency undulations. Both pairs of gear wheels are driven by a common variable speed motor.

United States Patent [191 1111 3,805,853 Gladu Apr. 23, 1974 [54] APPARATUS FOR MAKING TRANSDUCER 2,320,651 6/1943 Poux 72/187 2,458,238 1/1949 Bailey et al..., 72/187 X SCROLL SPACERS 3,318,128 5/1967 Rhodes .Q. 72/196 X [75] Inventor: Walter H. Gladu, New London,

Conn Primary Examinew-Charles W. Lanham [73] Assignee: The United States of America as Assistant Examiner-D. C. Reiley, III

represented by the Secretary of the Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Richard S. Sciascia; Arthur Navy, Washington, DC. A. McGill; Prithvi C. Lall [22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1973 1 21 Appl. No.: 320,031 [57] ABSTRACT 1; wirehis gear-crifmlped and lgear-forriiledlby pgsshgg it t roug a pair 0 orlzonta gear w ees an su se- 'i 140/105 2 513 quently through a pair of vertical gear wheels. The first p of g wheels crimps the wire to form g [58] Field of Search 140/105, 72/187, 196 frequency undulations in the wire which then is fed into the second pair of gear wheels to form low fre- [56] References cued quency undulations in a direction perpendicular to the" UNITED STATES PATENTS low frequency undulations. Both pairs of gear wheels 2,683,500 7/1954 Goodloe 140/105 are driven by a common variable speed motor, 3,565,129 2/1971 Field..... 140/105 2,153,936 4/1939 Owens 140 105 x 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 '1 F OR M E R 4e 1 1 l '1 0R1 M P ER 1 I 22 K1]; I 11111 1111|1111 f 1 l 5' 1 f APPARATUS FOR MAKING TRANSDUCER SCROLL SPACERS STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or thereafter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a motor driven wire crimper and former and more particularly to an apparatus and method for making magnetostrictive scroll transducer spacers.

In the fabrication of magnetostrictive scroll transducersto be used in underwater acoustic systems, it is de sirable to keep various layers of the scroll of such a transducer separate. It has been a tedious and timeconsuming task to accomplish this objective. One' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects and advantages of the present invention are accomplished by utilizing an improved method and apparatus for making magnetostrictive transducer scroll spacers. The apparatus comprises two pairs of gear wheels, one pair of the gear wheels being in a horizontal plane and the second pair of gear wheels being in a vertical plane. Both pairs of gear wheels are driven by a common motor having a variable speed. A stainless steel wire which is used. to form the transducer scroll spacers is then fed from a spool to the first pair of gear wheels, which undulates the wire in the form of high frequency undulations. This wire is then guided into the second pair of gear wheels which forms low frequency undulations on the wire in a direction perpendicular to the high frequency undulations.

One object of this invention is to form magnetostrictive transducer scroll spacers which maintain a constant spacing between different layers of the transducer scroll.

Another object is to eliminate hand cleaning of the metallic strip used for forming the transducer scroll.

Still another object is to eliminate painting of the metallic strips in order to keep a constant spacing between different layers of the transducer scroll.

A further object is to make effective transducer scroll spacers economically and in a relatively short time.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 2 is a top view of the crimping part of the apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section of FIG. 2 taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a side view of the former part of the apparatus, partly broken away to show details.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, a schematic representation of the apparatus is shown. The apparatus comprises a variable speed electrical motor 10 which drives a pair of horizontal gear wheels shown in block 12 of FIG. 1 and also a vertical pair of gear wheels shown in block 14 of FIG. 1. Metallic wire. 15, preferably stainless steel wire, wound on spool 16, is fed to the first pair of horizontal gear wheels 18 and 20. Gear wheels 18 and 20, when driven by electric motor 10, rotate, preferably in a horizontal plane in the direction of arrows 22 and 24 respectively about respective shafts or axes 26 and 28. FIGS. 2 and 3 show the engagement relationship of a first pulley 30 mounted on shaft 32. Shaft 32 is coupled with shaft 26 through bevelled gears 34 and 36. Shaft 32 is driven by electric motor 10 which in turn rotates gear wheel 18 through the movement of shaft 26. The gear wheel 20 is an idler 'wheel which is in meshing engagement with the gear wheel 18 as shown in FIG. 3. The portion of the wire 15 passing through guides 38 and 40 is crimped by motor driven gear wheels 18 and 20, forming high frequency undulations, and comes out guides 41 and 42 as shown by portion 43 0f the wire. The portion 43 of the wire is then fed into the vertical pair'of gear wheels 44 and 46 which are also driven by electric motor 10.

As shown in FIG. 4, gear wheels 44 and 46 are mounted The crimped portion 43 of the wire is then fed through a guide 52 in pair of vertical plates 54 and 56 which act as guides for the wire. Gear wheels 44 and 46 form the crimped portion 43 of the wire which comes out of throat 58 in plates 54 and 56 with low frequency undulations, thus providing a portion of the wire which is crimped and formed as shown by numeral 60.

It should be stated that both crimping and forming operations of the wire are accomplished in a single piece of equipment in an economic and quick way.

The crimping and forming operations can .be slowed down or expedited by controlling the speed of the electric motor 10.

Thus, the apparatus of making transducer scroll spacers of this invention comprises a horizontal pair'of gear wheels and a vertical pair, of gear wheels which are driven simultaneously by a variable speed electric motor. Metallic wire is first crimped as it passes through a moving pair of horizontal gear wheels and subsequently formed as it passes througha moving pair of vertical gear wheels.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of above teachings. As an example, the sequence of crimping and forming operations of the wire can be interchanged. Furthermore, the horizontal and vertical gear wheels can be energized by two different sources. It is therefore understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for crimping and forming a wire comprising:

a first pair of meshing gear wheels rotatably mounted in a first plane, each wheel of said pair having a first plurality of teeth adapted to crimp the wire to provide high frequency undulations thereon;

a second pair of meshing gear wheels rotatably mounted in a second plane generally perpendicular to the first plane, each wheel of said second pair having a second plurality of teeth adapted to form the wire to provide low frequency undulations generally perpendicular to the high frequency undulations on the wire; and

means for driving said first pair of gear wheels and said second pair of gear wheels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there is a differential between the number of teeth on each wheel of said first pair of gear wheels and the number of teeth on each wheel of said second pair of gear wheels.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first pair of gear wheels is provided with a first wire-feeding guiding means.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said second pair of gear wheels is provided with a second wire-feeding guide means. 

1. An apparatus for crimping and forming a wire comprising: a first pair of meshing gear wheels rotatably mounted in a first plane, each wheel of said pair having a first plurality of teeth adapted to crimp the wire to provide high frequency undulations thereon; a second pair of meshing gear wheels rotatably mounted in a second plane generally perpendicular to the first plane, each wheel of said second pair having a second plurality of teeth adapted to form the wire to provide low frequency undulations generally perpendicular to the high frequency undulations on the wire; and means for driving said first pair of gear wheels and said second pair of gear wheels.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein there is a differential between the number of teeth on each wheel of said first pair of gear wheels and the number of teeth on each wheel of said second pair of gear wheels.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first pair of gear wheels is provided with a first wire-feeding guiding means.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said second pair of gear wheels is provided with a second wire-feeding guide means. 